Does bursicon play a role in Drosophila larvae?

Bursicon is a heterodimer neuropeptide responsible for regulating cuticle sclerotization and wing expansion via a G protein–coupled receptor (DLGR2) in diverse insect orders. Transcriptional studies revealed that both bursicon a and b transcripts are expressed in the central nerve system of Drosophila larvae, pupae and newly emerged adults, suggesting that bursicon might have potential roles in larval stage too. Using DNA microarray and recombinant bursicon, we have previously identified a set of bursicon-regulated genes in neck-ligated flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Annotation of the microarray identified genes reveals that proteins encoded by these genes belong to diverse functional categories. In the present study, we investigated the effect of recombinant bursicon on transcription of the microarray identified genes in Drosophila larvae and explored the potential functions of bursicon and bursicon-regulated genes in larval stage.